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IELTS Academic Reading 2024 past questions and answers

This 2024 IELTS Academic Reading set has 20 practice questions. Try these 5 free sample questions, tap a question to reveal the answer and explanation. Then practise the whole 2024 set with instant marking.

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Sample IELTS Academic Reading 2024 questions

1. On several dry hillsides, engineers have tested mesh panels that capture droplets from passing fog. The first prototypes were designed to maximize the amount collected, but researchers soon found that a larger surface was not always better: strong winds could tear it, while dust blocked its weave. Newer panels are smaller and easier to repair, and local residents help choose where they are placed. The method cannot supply every household throughout the year, yet it has provided a useful seasonal supplement in settlements with frequent fog. What is the main idea of the passage?
  1. Fog-harvesting systems work best when adapted to local conditions and limits.
  2. Large mesh panels can replace conventional water supplies in dry regions.
  3. Dust is the only serious obstacle to collecting water from fog.
  4. Residents have rejected engineering projects on their hillsides.

Answer: A. Fog-harvesting systems work best when adapted to local conditions and limits.

The passage describes how designs were adapted to local wind, dust, repair needs, and seasonal water availability.

2. A set of account books from the medieval port of Lydmere has allowed historians to reconstruct the town's trade. Each week, clerks noted ships' arrival dates, the names of captains, and the fees charged. They grouped goods into categories such as timber, salt, and dyed cloth rather than recording every item individually. Although the books do not reveal exact cargo weights, repeated entries show that vessels from the northern coast visited most often in late summer, when sailing conditions were relatively calm. Which detail did the port clerks record?
  1. The precise weight of every item unloaded
  2. The fees charged to arriving ships
  3. The weather on every day of the year
  4. The final destination of every passenger

Answer: B. The fees charged to arriving ships

The passage explicitly says that clerks noted the fees charged as well as arrival dates and captains' names.

3. A city research team compared evening temperatures on streets with different amounts of tree cover. Streets where paving had been removed around tree roots cooled more quickly after sunset than equally shaded streets with sealed ground. The team suggests that exposed soil releases stored heat differently and allows rainwater to reach roots. However, the measurements covered only three neighborhoods during one summer, and the researchers caution that building materials and traffic may also affect local temperatures. What can be inferred from the passage?
  1. Tree shade has no effect on evening temperatures.
  2. Traffic is the sole cause of heat differences between streets.
  3. Unsealed ground may contribute to cooling beyond the effect of tree shade alone.
  4. The team proved that removing all city paving prevents heat waves.

Answer: C. Unsealed ground may contribute to cooling beyond the effect of tree shade alone.

The comparison suggests that exposed soil may aid cooling even when the amount of shade is similar.

4. During a prolonged summer heatwave, several neighborhood libraries extended their opening hours and offered quiet, air-conditioned rooms. Some commentators described the effort as a departure from the institutions' educational mission. Yet library staff argued that providing a safe public space is consistent with making knowledge and community resources accessible. Attendance figures rose, but the directors warned against treating visitor counts as the only measure of success: some people came mainly to rest, use drinking water, or check on neighbors. What claim would the writer most likely support?
  1. Libraries should stop offering non-educational services during heatwaves.
  2. Only attendance statistics can show whether a library is useful.
  3. Libraries should charge visitors who use cooling facilities.
  4. A library's community role can include practical support during emergencies.

Answer: D. A library's community role can include practical support during emergencies.

The passage presents emergency cooling and community support as compatible with libraries' public mission.

5. A small factory installed sensors on its packing line and sent measurements to a nearby computer rather than to a distant data centre. This arrangement allowed the system to flag a jam almost immediately, so workers could stop the belt before packages piled up. Engineers call this approach edge computing because some processing occurs close to the equipment that generates the data. It can reduce the delay involved in sending information elsewhere, although the factory still stores longer-term records on remote servers. In this passage, what does “delay” most nearly mean?
  1. The time taken before a response occurs
  2. The cost of repairing the packing line
  3. The amount of information stored remotely
  4. The distance between two factory workers

Answer: A. The time taken before a response occurs

The nearby computer flags a jam almost immediately, so “delay” refers to the time before a response.

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